Urine collection device

ABSTRACT

A UNITARY DEVICE FOR RECEIVING URINE SPECIMENS FOR ANALYSIS INCLUDING A COLLECTION PORTION AND A HANDLE PORTION WHICH IS ADAPTED TO CONTACT THE RIM OF A TOILET BOWL AND WHEREIN SAID DEVICE INCLUDES ADHESIVE MEANS FOR RELEASABLY SECURING SAID DEVICE TO A TOILET BOWL DURING USE.

1366- 1971 c, M. VAN DUYNE URINE COLLECTION DEVICE Filed May 22, 1970 CHHELES United States Patent Office 3,625,654 URINE COLLECTION DEVICE Charles M. Van Duyne, 235 W. Pueblo St., Santa Barbara, Calif. 93105 Filed May 22, 1970, Ser. No. 39,662 Int. Cl. A47k 11/12; A61b 19/00; B01] 3/00 US. Cl. 23-253 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A unitary device for receiving urine specimens for analysis including a collection portion and a handle portion which is adapted to contact the rim of a toilet bowl and wherein said device includes adhesive means for releasably securing said device to a toilet bowl during use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION While prior urine screening or collecting devices have been developed and marketed over the years, there has never been a successful attempt to create a collection device that may be used by a person who is ambulatory wherein the device can be appropriately mounted in a toilet bowl in the case of a female, or hand held, in the case of a male.

Some of the prior art, such as US. Letters Patent No. 3,466,145, is particularly adapted to urine screening and while that patent does include certain collection elements, it possesses certain drawbacks when there is a need to collect a relatively large volume specimen for urinanalysis.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a device for collecting urine specimens to be used in urinanalysis which is simple, sanitary and convenient to use by both males and females and is adapted to be disposable after one use.

An object of this invention is to provide a urine collecting device of relatively simple construction which may be mounted within a toilet bowl for use by a female or may be hand held for use by a male.

Due to the construction of the particular device, it is particularly adapted for use with either a male or female because of the fact that a projecting angle of the collection device is designed to accommodate the physiological structure of the human body. Thus, a stream of urine is collected and maintained in a sanitary manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a urine collection device wherein there is incorporated a spout so that the collected specimen may be poured into other containers for a complete urinanalysis.

Another object of this invention is to provide a collecting device of pliable material which is disposable and until used a number of them may be stored in neat stacked relationship.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings, wherein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a urine collecting device;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a urine collecting device releasably mounted in a toilet bowl;

FIG. 3 is a top elevational view of the urine collection device;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational, cross sectional view of the urine collecting device taken on lines 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the urine collecting device showing a modified means of mounting the device in a toiet bowl; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational, cross sectional view of 3,625,654 Patented Dec. 7, 1971 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a urine collection means generally designated 10 which includes a cylindrical base cup portion 12 and a handle portion 14. Preferably, annular wall 13 of the cup portion 12 tapers outwardly as it projects upwardly from the bottom wall 15.

The cylindrical base cup portion 12 includes an upper outwardly flared rim 16 which is preferably generally elliptical such as viewed in FIG. 3. The upper rim 16 is provided with a pouring spout 18 at the front thereof.

The handle 14 extends from the upper flared rim 16 generally normal to the axis of the cylindrical base cup portion 14. In the preferred construction of the handle, there is an elongated raised intermediate rib 20 extending from the surface 22 of the handle 14. Additionally, to impart rigidity to the handle portion 14, the respective edges 24 and 26 are turned upwardly as is the end edge 28 opposite the joinder of the handle 14 with the rim 16.

It should be noted that in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the top 30 of the rim 16 is cut on the bias at approximately a 30 angle below the horizontal. With this construction, it has been found that the use of the urine collecting means 10 is much more efficient than a container with a horizontal top plane due to the physiological makeup of the human body, whether in a sitting or standing position. The flow of human urine is always outward and downward of the body. Thus, the angulation of the collection means 10 will assure an easier and more sanitary collection.

The annular wall 13 is further preferably provided with a pair of vertically extending ribs 32 extending from the bottom wall 15 to the point where the flared rim 16 leaves the cup 12. These ribs 32 serve both to channel a stream of urine and also will assist the removal of one urine collection means 10 from another when in stacked, stored arrangement such as shown in FIG. 6.

In the case of the use of the collection means 10 by a female wherein it is desired to mount the means in a toilet bowl 34 the handle portion 14 may be equipped with an adhesive to releasably secure the collection means 10 to the bowl 34.

The adhesive may take the form as illustrated in FIG. 2 of an adhesive tape 38 having a portion 39 which is secured to the raised intermediate rib 20 and extends around the edge 28 of the handle portion 14. An additional portion 40 is secured to the underside 41 of the handle portion 14. When it is desired to mount the collection means 10 on the rim 42 of the toilet bowl 34, the tape section 40 is pulled from the underside 41 of the handle 14. The handle 14 is then positioned on the rim 42 and the adhesive section 40 applied to the front edge of the bowl 34.

In this way, it may be seen that with the tape extending from the rim 42 and the handle 14 being of such a length as to extend along the top surface of the rim 42, stability is imparted to the urine collection device 10- so that the weight of the specimen flowing thereinto will not upset the collection means 10.

FIG. 5 illustrates a modified form of tape 39' affixed to the undersurface 41 of the handle portion 14. The tape 39' includes adhesive on each side thereof, and there is a backing (not shown) on the outer adhesive side of the tape which may be peeled off and the handle pressed to the rim 42 of the toilet bowl 34.

Preferably, the urine collection means is formed of relatively inexpensive plastic material whereby the means are disposable after one specimen has been collected and urinanalysis performed thereon.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A urine collecting means adapted to retain a urine specimen for use in urinanalysis comprising a cup portion, a handle portion having an upper and under surface and connected to and projecting from said cup portion, said cup portion having an upper rim angularly disposed and depending below the plane of said handle portion, said handle portion including adhesive means whereby said handle may be releasably secured to the rim of a toilet bowl when said urine collecting means is to be utilized in a toilet bowl.

2. A urine collecting means as defined in claim 1 wherein said upper rim is upwardly and outwardly flared from said cup portion forming an enlarged opening.

3. A urine collecting means as defined in claim 1 wherein said adhesive means includes a tape having adhesive on one side thereof and a portion affixed to said upper surface of said handle and a second portion extending along said undersurface and releasably afiixed thereto whereby said second portion may be disengaged from said undersurface, said handle positioned on the rim of said toilet bowl and said second portion aflixed to said toilet bowl.

4. A urine collecting means as defined in claim 1 wherein said adhesive means includes a tape having adhesive on both sides thereof wherein one side of said tape is afiixed to the underside of said handle and said other side of said tape is covered with a removable backing until it is desired to secure said handle to said rim of said toilet bowl.

5. A urine collecting means as defined in claim 1 wherein said upper rim of said cup portion angles downwardly from the horizontal approximately 30.

6. A urine collecting means as defined in claim 1 wherein there is provided a pouring spout on said rim of said cup for guiding the pouring of said specimen from said urine collecting means.

7. A urine collecting means as defined in claim 6 wherein a pair of spacer ribs are formed in said cup portion opposite said pouring spout.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,560,199 7/1951 Trichel et al. 4110 2,779,560 1/1957 Springer 206DIG. l8 2,904.047 9/1959 Hamilton 128295 3,466,145 9/1969 Van Duyne 23-253 3,571,817 3/1971 Gosnell 4-110 JOSEPH SCOVRONEK, Primary Examiner D. G. MILLMAN, Assistant Examiner US. 'Cl. X.R.

4-1, 23259, 292; l282 R, 295; 206-DIG. 18 

